


Dances With Blankets

by yuletide_archivist



Category: Peanuts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-02-18
Updated: 2007-02-18
Packaged: 2018-01-25 01:42:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1624853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yuletide_archivist/pseuds/yuletide_archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Story by Anonymoose</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dances With Blankets

**Author's Note:**

> Written for tallulah71

 

 

Dances With Blankets

"Linus, I can't believe you're going to take that stupid blanket to school with you!"

They were at the school bus stop. Linus had his blanket draped over his shoulder,  
like always. He watched the cars go by as Lucy glared at him.  
"Why shouldn't I? It's Thanksgiving week. Aren't we supposed to come up with things  
we're thankful for?"

"Linus does have a point," Charlie Brown said from his spot by the curb. He held up  
his lunchbox. "I'm grateful to have a good home, and enough to eat..."

Linus nodded. He was thankful for those things too. He didn't say that he was also glad  
that he wasn't the only one around for Lucy to crab at. He kept watching for the bus,  
thinking about the upcoming holiday.

The bus arrived. Schroeder and Pig Pen were already in their seats when Linus, Lucy,  
and Charlie Brown got on. "Hi," Schroeder called. "Hey, how's your mom?"

Mrs. Van Pelt had gone to the hospital yesterday, and told Linus and Lucy that she'd be  
bringing home a little brother or sister for them with her when she came back.

"She's coming home tomorrow," Linus said, biting his lip. "She called and said we have  
a little brother. " This was something Linus knew was good news, but he wished he could  
ask his mom or dad a few questions.

"Oh, that's nice! What's his name? Did she say?"

"No," Lucy answered before Linus could speak up. "Not yet. " She winked at Schroeder,  
sitting next to him. "Hiii, Schroeder. "

Linus pretended to be looking at his homework, making sure it was all there. The look on  
Schroeder's face was making him want to laugh.  
* * *  
He liked school. Of course, a lot of that was because of Miss Othmar. As he'd told the other  
kids, he was 'very fond of the ground on which she walked.'

They were talking about the holidays, and how Thanksgiving had been started by the Pilgrims.  
There were construction paper cutouts or drawings of Pilgrims, the Mayflower, and Indians,  
on the classroom walls. Linus had heard the story last year, but he sat quietly while they  
listened to it again.

"Miss Othmar?" Pig Pen raised his hand.

The teacher asked what he wanted, smiling. She had a really nice smile, Linus thought.

"If the Indians came here first, there weren't any houses or towns, were there? Where did they  
live? In caves?"

No, the teacher explained, describing wigwams and lodges.

"We should make one for the parent-teacher night!" an idea had struck Linus. "When they come to look at the school and meet everyone, we can show them the stuff we've been learning. It'd be  
fun!"  
A lot of the kids liked that idea. So did Miss Othmar. She appointed him to be 'an Indian chief',  
and let him go to the Art Supplies to pick out stuff to use for the wigwam.

All in all, it was a good day. Later on, at lunch, the kids were talking about it.  
Linus had found some things that would work as tent poles, and a mat to sit on,  
but they'd wound up using his blanket as the wigwam cover just for today.  
Miss Othmar had promised she'd get something to replace it after the classes  
were over, so he could take his blanket home with him.

"What's in your lunch?" asked Sally, batting her eyelashes. She liked to know what  
everyone else had, then if they had something she really liked she'd beg and pout  
until they made a swap.  
Linus checked his lunch bag. "Milk and a tuna and celery sandwich." She made a  
face. "Dad packed them up for us. He's into health food. " He didn't mention the  
chocolate chip cookies.  
"How have you been, my sweet babboo?"  
Linus rolled his eyes like a pair of bowling balls. "I'm okay. And I'm not your sweet  
babboo!"  
Sally was already busy trying to peek into her brother's lunchbox. The comment sailed  
right over her head like one of those tree-eaten kites. Linus looked at Lucy.  
"Lucy?"

"Yeah, what?"

"Did Mom...How come she wanted another boy?" He toyed with his milk.

Lucy gave him a funny look. For once, she didn't grouch at him. "I don't think she knew ahead of  
time either. She said she'd have to wait until the baby was born before she knew which it was.  
I think moms can't always pick out which they get, or they don't remember to do it. _I'm_ having girls," she declared. "They're cuter and not so messy."

Linus wasn't sure how it worked, either, but he couldn't imagine any doctor daring to tell Lucy  
she couldn't do what she wanted, even when she was old. Older.

They went back to class. They had math, and spelling, and then it was time to go home.

Linus went to pick up his blanket, which was wrapped around the three wigwam poles. They'd put it by the window of the classroom, to make it easier to see.

"AAAAGGH!"

No, this was not a happy Linus. He turned to glare at everyone else.  
His perfectly good, plain blue blanket a) had a hole cut in it, and b) had _Zigzag_ stripes  
all along the edge! Black crayon!

"It's a smoke hole," Frieda explained. "So if there was a cooking fire..."

 **"Frieda, does this look like Plymouth to you?!"** Linus folded up his abused blanket, holding it tightly.

Miss Othmar apologized, and offered to sew up the blanket and wash it. Linus just smiled crookedly  
and said no. He knew how to sew simple stitches by now; when your sister, your neighbor's dog,  
and the local kite-eating tree had it in for your trusty Flannel, holes happened. It was like TV, just  
something that happened every now and then.

They took the bus home.

Mrs. Van Pelt was sitting in the living room, to their surprise. She was holding something.  
The something was making noise. She smiled, telling them to come say hi to their little brother, Rerun.

Linus came over, and sat next to his mom on the couch. "Hi," he said softly. The baby was awfully  
red, he noticed. Rerun looked like he was asleep.  
Lucy touched the baby's cheek, and Rerun turned his head to suck at her fingers. "Ack!" She moved away  
a little, startled.  
"He's really small..."  
Linus' mother asked if Linus wanted to hold him, and showed him how, putting Rerun in his arms.  
He was a big brother. Like Lucy was his big sister...Somehow Linus hadn't thought of it like that.

"I won't be crabby at you, promise," he whispered. "Just don't steal my blanket, and we'll be fine, kiddo."  
But when they put Rerun in his crib, Linus did tuck the blanket over him, though still folded up. It would  
have been way too big otherwise.  
He could wait to fix it up later. It wasn't like he didn't get plenty of practice at that, after all.

 

 

 


End file.
